The price of folly

the long version

In a critical analysis of long-held views of the conduct of the War of American Independence, The Price of Folly argues that the conflict need never have been fought, and certainly not lost, by the British. Its outcome was due more to the many political and military errors made by British politicians and leading generals than to any grand strategy on the part of the American colonists. William Seymour, a direct descendent of British General John Burgoyne, who was defeated at the battle of Saratoga, marshals broad historical knowledge and trenchant insight to support his thesis. Whether describing the thinking of Whitehall policymakers or brilliantly chronicling all the major battles from Bunker Hill to Yorktown, he gives new life to the dramatic events that helped create the United States, the modern world's most powerful nation. Anyone with an interest in British or American history will be fascinated by this new perspective on the war and the men who played out its drama, ranging from George III, Lord North, and Cornwallis to George Washington and Benjamin Franklin. The Price of Folly will be hailed as a significant contribution to our understanding of an event that changed forever the course of human history.